Raspberry Pi gets a case you can download and 3D print

The Raspberry Pi $35 PC has started shipping, but if you managed to secure one from the first batch count yourself very lucky. The hardware partners the foundation chose had difficulty coping with demand, and a lot of people just couldn’t get their websites to load to place an order.

If, like me, you find yourself waiting until April before your estimated delivery date arrives, you may want to start some preparation work for the tiny PC. Alongside a display, keyboard, mouse, storage, and cables, the fact it ships without a case is one of the first issues to solve, and mechanical engineer and hobbyist designer Marco Alici has come to our rescue.

Marco decided he couldn’t wait for the delivery of his Raspberry Pi before designing a case for it. So he mocked up the board and designed a 3D model of a case around it using the free-to-use Blender application. The finished case can be seen above and below.

Marco explains on his blog that the case design was problematic simply because the Raspberry Pi board has not been designed with a case in mind, rather it is all about remaining as cheap as possible. That has translated into the Ethernet port and USB ports not being lined up, meaning the USB ports end up sticking out further than you’d like–they are not flush.

Even so, Marco has done a great job encasing, and most importantly, protecting the board from potential damage. He’s also going to offer the design up for 3D printing through Shapeways.

All he needs now is a Raspberry Pi delivered to him so the final case design can be tested. After that, all Raspberry Pi owners should be able to either download and print the case themselves, or order one through Shapeways.